Firefighters are digging through the rubble of a three-storey building in New York after it collapsed at the edge of a construction site, killing at least two people and trapping others beneath the wreckage.
Firefighters were called to the scene in Flatbush, Brooklyn at about 4pm Wednesday, local time.
News helicopter footage showed dozens of firefighters scouring the debris, with a group homing in on one area and appearing to use a saw to cut through the wreckage.
The aerial videos showed firefighters digging at least one person out of the rubble and removing them on a stretcher.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said this was a “devastating” incident.
“I am heartbroken to share that at this time, at least two New Yorkers have passed away,” he said.
He said 10 people were taken to hospital, with critical and minor injuries.
“I want to ask New Yorkers to please take a moment to pray for those who have passed away today and all of those who are mourning their loss,” he said.
“As we rebuild, the city of New York will stand alongside those impacted every step of the way.”
A man breaks down after learning his pregnant wife has survived the building collapse. (Supplied: News12)
Several US media outlets interviewed a man whose pregnant wife was safely saved from the rubble.
“She is alive, she is still alive, I am very happy, I am very happy,” he said.
The man began saying “I thought she was,” but began crying and hugging a support person.
Site was being excavated
Mr Mamdani said the response by emergency services began within 1 minute of the call for help, and more than 250 personnel had been involved in the search and rescue.
“This has been an incredibly challenging, fast-moving situation with precarious wreckage to navigate and dangerous voids beneath the surface,” Mr Mamdani said.
He said the investigation into the cause of the incident was ongoing.
The building that collapsed had been perched at the edge of a site where another one-storey building had been torn down for a construction project.
Firefighters and rescue dogs search through the rubble. (AP Photo: Ryan Murphy)
The site was being excavated, and the building that fell down filled the construction pit with bricks and wood.
Another building that shared a wall with the collapsed structure remained standing, but its wall was shorn off, exposing the rooms inside, including a bedroom and closets filled with clothing.
A drone hovered over the site as firefighters dug by hand and tossed chunks of rubble aside, and rescuers used dogs to search for survivors.
The building that collapsed had been perched at the edge of a lot where another building had been torn down. (AP Photo: Ryan Murphy)
As darkness fell, firefighters used torches to light the area where they worked.
Phone and email messages seeking comment were left with the architect, property owner and general contractor listed in city records as being associated with the construction project.
AP/ABC
Source: www.abc.net.au
